Victoria

My name is Victoria and I live in Callao, Peru with my mother and younger brother. When I was six years old, my paternal grandfather, who was like a father to me, passed away. Two years later my parents separated, and problems started because of my father, the police were even involved on some occasions. I did not understand why God allowed all this to happen to us. We went from having a loving and stable family to having a broken family in constant fights. For many years I lived scared, sad, and I felt alone. Little by little I moved away from God, I no longer spoke to him and did not trust him.

When I was in high school, a friend invited me to Young Life club. I heard the gospel in a fresh way and realized that God always listens to me and had been taking care of me during all the difficult years I had faced. I made the decision to follow Jesus; I was finally able to really know who God is and I began to live trusting in him. From that moment everything changed for me. I was able to forgive my father. Now I can see how God has healed my heart and how he is healing the hearts of my family.

I am a digital advertising design student attending the Technological University of Peru. I want to pursue a career in marketing. I especially want to help low-income people seeking to get ahead with their small businesses and be able to help them grow to have a stable economy for their families. As a Developing Global Leader, my dream is to be able to grow the number of clubs in my community and share the gospel with more university students. I will be the first in my family to graduate from university.